Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
by Carbucketty
Summary: Light x L. Worldly things are fleeting, but this shame, this rough, strange, tense, mixture of joy and loathing wasn’t fleeting and Light had to bite his lip until there was blood to keep from screaming out with whatever it was he was feeling.


**Hello there, readers. I know that this isn't a crack fic or a self insert, but I do hope you like it anyway. This is my first and probably my last attempt at writing Light x L. This is definitely the slashiest thing I've ever written, so I don't really know how to feel about that. I wrote this at 8:21 AM instead of sleeping, so if I go to bed, wake up, read it and realize how shitty it is, it will probably be taken down. So, enjoy while you can. **

**_Okay. If you have ever enjoyed anything I've ever written enough to put me on your favorites list (even those jerks who do so without reviewing) then there is an important note in my profile that I think you would benefit from reading. That is, of course, only if you actually enjoyed anything I've written. Check that out so we're all on the same page, yeah? _**

**Anyway. Here goes nothing.**

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_Thus passes the glory of the world. _

Light would cringe as the chain would clink, clink, clink and L would sit unnoticing, as usual.

_Clink, clink, clink._

Every time Light went to reach for something or stretch, that sound would pierce the silence.

_Clink._

"Sometimes you complain," L pointed out before Light's own annoyance was realized. "It's not something you do frequently; more of an offhanded action, really. I understand that your needs and wants can sometimes be very specific. For someone so particular, so compulsive, I would imagine that going about daily activities is very hard."

"Why so?" Light asked, attempting to use his voice to mask the excruciating pain trapped inside his head. His temples were throbbing and his vision was blurring. Days were so long now that he could feel the weight pressing down on his shoulders. His conditions would magnify the second he caught a glimpse of the pale, crouching man that was always at his side.

"Well, we live in a world, I would expect you to know, where very few things live up to the standards we set. It seems that your standards are unusually high so you must feel a more severe amount of disappointmen when those standards are not met," L explained, not even dignifying Light with any sort of eye contact.

"I see," Light grumbled, reaching his free hand up to massage his temples.

"Kira's standards must be _extremely _high, don't you think?"

"I would imagine so."

"It's quite strange when one thinks about it, really. Unless Kira has defied all logic and reasoning and is going to live forever, all of his actions are going to be rendered completely useless when he dies… All worldly accomplishments will fade. One day, order will be established again. … But I'm just thinking out loud."

"It's late," Light managed to say instead of expressing pure irritation at having L's voice added into the whirlwind that was tearing up his head. "I understand that you've trained yourself to go without sleep, but I haven't."

"Of course," L muttered, tapping his thumb against his lips. "Of course."

* * *

"I don't know if you're familiar with it," L said as their bodies grew closer and closer, "but there's a Latin phrase, _sic transit gloria mundi _which means---"

"Thus passes the glory of the world." Light was so, so tired.

Too tired.

"Yes, yes."

And their bodies met slightly and Light was simply too tired to _really _object.

His only form of objection was a slight groan, but even then he almost reluctantly, almost desperately let his shaking, cold hands run across L's body. With each motion, with each shift of the bed, his headache would increase and his fingers would tighten and tighten in L's disheveled hair.

"Or it could mean…" L started, but he was cut off by a slight brush of Light's lips. "It _could _mean…"

"Why do you do this?" Light asked, sighing and letting out another groan. Their lips touched again.

"When I have a thought, I like to verbalize it."

"Verbalize it later, please. My head is just killing me."

And he was so, so ashamed.

He told himself that lips brushing against each other could be an accident, that people sometimes accidentally got too close when they were asleep. His hands clumsily reaching for every inch of L's skin was just an accident.

Each and every step was just an accident.

And then their bodies _met _fully in that clandestine sort of way; L whispered, "Wordly things are fleeting," and Light gripped the bed sheets and didn't (want to) understand why any of this was happening. _Worldly things are fleeting_ but this shame, this rough, strange, tense, mixture of joy and loathing wasn't fleeting and Light had to bite his lip until there was blood to keep from screaming out with whatever it was he was feeling.

He was too tired to say "This is wrong" after it was all over like he normally did, but L seemed ready to address the issue anyway.

"Anything you experience now is worldly. If all worldly things are fleeting, then there's no need to be ashamed of anything, really."

The pressure on the bridge of Light's nose increased and he turned his back to L. This caused the chain to _clink, clink, clink, _but Light didn't even care because the clinking of the chain would pass, just like these painful nights, just like the glory of the world.


End file.
